LANSING - Will the ongoing legislative session in our state's capitol be "the mother of all lame ducks" as predicted by Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics?

Or will the session proceed innocently, according to state Senate Majority leader Dan DeGrow (R-Port Huron)? "We don't have any big plans, he said. "We're just going to get some things wrapped up."

A lame duck session of the state legislature takes place every two years between the general election in the first week of November, and Jan. 1, when newly elected lawmakers are sworn in. This year, with term limits and a new governor coming into office, there will be the greatest turnover among lawmakers in decades. There are 56 new state representatives and 29 new state senators coming on board - but until that happens, those who currently hold seats may have an agenda.

"We fear a rush of old issues coming up again that we don't want to revisit," said House Minority Leader Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit.

Following are some of the issues on the table. Others we don't know about may surface at any time from under the table.

Changes in Blue Cross Blue Shield operations: Making Michigan's largest health care insurer a for-profit company may or may not be in the cards. But there is legislation on the table to reduce the number of board members, and give the state insurance commissioner authority to say who sits on the board.

Living wage: Republicans have long been hot on the trail of prohibiting communities from adopting ordinances that require companies doing business with municipalities to pay workers a minimum wage higher than the state's minimum, $5.15 per hour.

Waiting week for jobless benefits: Republican lawmakers backed down on a proposal to institute a waiting week for unemployment benefit recipients earlier this year. It could become an issue again.

School news: The Michigan Federation of Teachers warns that several pieces of legislation ("all bad") will be on the table, including charter school expansion, privatizing substitute teachers and reducing standards for subs.